Eighty-seven
by Raberba girl
Summary: Teenage AU Saïx wakes up in the Castle That Never Was. Platonic AkuSai (plus some Roxas & Xion) fic as my 87th story on FFN.
1. Part 1

Eighty-seven

(rough draft)

A Kingdom Hearts fanfic by Raberba girl

Summary: The Saïx from the "Stepsiblings" universe wakes up in the Castle That Never Was. Platonic AkuSai (plus some Roxas & Xion) fic as my 87th story on FFN.

A/N: Well, at least according to the number on my FFN profile. There are several factors that make this not my 87th story at all, but whatever. *sweatdrop*

**This is a crossover between Kingdom Hearts canon and my Kingdom Hearts modern AU **_**Stepsiblings**_** series. XD** (And for you people who actually read Stepsibs, this would be an AU; and yes, future Stepsibs fics _might_ reference it anyway, even though it 'never actually happened.' :p)

**Part 1 (Teenage Saïx)**

Something felt wrong from the moment I awakened, and it became very quickly apparent what it was. I wasn't in my room. I had absolutely no idea at all where I was.

The room was silent and cold, with a full-length window taking up one entire wall. The strangest thing could be seen in the night sky: a moon shaped like a heart. It disconcerted me when I blinked and realized that I had been gazing at it for a long time. Something about it seemed beautiful, with the strangest sensation as if it was calling to me...yet at the same time, I was also uneasy.

Shivering, I finally got out of bed to take a better look around. This room looked so sterile...just basic furniture, with a symbol repeated over and over again, almost everywhere I looked. There was nothing else, no sign of anything that would give this place...personality. I checked the closet and drawers just to make sure - nearly the whole wardrobe was black, consisting mostly of pants, tank tops, and long zippered coats. In the very back was a blue outfit that looked unnervingly identical to my favorite sweater, but it was too small for me. Also shabby, as if it had been torn and battered, then later repaired by someone without professional equipment. I would have to dress in black instead.

There were also, amongst the toiletries and other mundane things you'd expect to find in a set of drawers, a few of those 'Winner' ice cream sticks my siblings got so excited about, a ticket to some place called 'Disney Town,' and a battered copy of _Treasure Island_. _"To Isa,"_ it said inside the front cover, _"from Mom. Happy birthday, sweetie! I love you!"_

Isa...I knew that was Lea's middle name, but I couldn't help feeling...like there was something I was missing, some connection I...couldn't...

Enough. Whoever this 'Isa' was, she - or he - probably would not appreciate that I'd gone through their personal things. I thought I had better leave before someone came in and started making accusations.

That is, if I _could_ leave. The only thing that looked like an exit was shimmering in a way I didn't trust, like it was a force field in a science fiction movie or something of the sort. I tried tossing a pencil at it, and to my surprise, the pencil went straight through. I then picked up a stapler and touched the shimmering substance - nothing happened, it was like there was nothing there. So I put my boot through, then the rest of my body, and now stood in a larger room.

It was just as cold and silent, but there were no windows here, which made me shiver again. I did not like the feel of this place... It didn't help that it was full of structures that looked reminiscent of tombstones.

The floor was sloped. I headed for the lower exit, reasoning that the previous room had seemed to be on a high floor, and going downwards would eventually get me to the ground floor.

There was another shimmering gateway, but again, I came to no harm by passing through it. On the other side, however, I had only gone a few steps when the floor before me seemed to swirl, and several alarming creatures appeared - vaguely humanoid, but grotesquely slender, and with hardly anything where their faces should be. I backed up as they advanced, and couldn't help crying out in surprise and pain when one of them suddenly lashed out at me with a tapered arm.

"No!" I returned swiftly to the room with the tombstones - but it did no good. More creatures were materializing, more of the elongated ones and now some hulking figures with massive weapons. Genuinely frightened now, I retreated again, back to the room where I assumed I had awakened.

I must have gotten it wrong, the portals all looked alike... The layout of this room was different. Unfortunately, I did not have time to observe at my leisure, because yet more creatures were appearing.

These were smaller, their most distinctive feature being a set of wing-like appendages that sported spikes rather than feathers. Barely able to move, I held my breath in alarm, eyes fixed on them as they seemed to study me.

Then they began circling around me in an agitated sort of way, and someone made a sleepy, disgruntled noise. There was another human in here - one who looked amazingly familiar, curled up on the bed across the room. I edged past the creatures and hurried toward my brother, feeling incredibly relieved to see him in this bizarre place. "Axel!"

"What?" he grumbled.

"Axel, get up, there is a situation here..."

He rolled over with his back toward me and pulled the blanket over his head. "I told you," he said in a muffled grumble, "I don't care if Kingdom Hearts is falling out of the sky, no missions before 8:00."

"What are you _talking_ about? Axel, there are these - things! They're dangerous." A thought occurred to me that made me feel sick. "And if you're here, the children might be, too, which means it's imperative that we find them as soon as possible.

He suddenly rolled back over and sat up in one swift movement. "Children?" Then he gasped. "_Whoa_!"

I stared back at him. There was something...wrong. Or not wrong, exactly, but... Despite the fact that he was sitting right before my eyes, I had the sudden strangest doubt that this wasn't my brother. Impossible, though... His hair was too distinctive to mistake, as were his piercing green eyes; not to mention the tattoos. Yet...I couldn't shake the feeling that...

"Your eyes are _talking_!"

"What?"

"Flaming pants! _'confusion, distress, frustration, unease, anxiety, fear...'_ It's, like, _spilling out of your eyes_. Flaming pants. Sai, did you magically get your heart back when we weren't looking?!"

"What are you _talking_ about? And why do you look different?" There was _something_ different about him, though I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. If pressed, I would have said he looked...older. Even though I'd seen Axel in uniform too many times to count, the man before me would look out of place in a high school class.

"Man, you look _so_ much like Isa...or, like, Isa cosplaying you, if that makes any sense...it totally doesn't, does it..."

"Axel, I would recommend some coffee to clear your head, since you're obviously still three-quarters asleep, but we don't have time. We have to find Xion and Roxas _now_."

He flung himself out of bed. "What happened to them?" he demanded.

"Nothing, I hope," I said, slightly taken aback by the tinge of accusation in his tone. "I'm simply quite concerned that they might have encountered these white creatures. They could get seriously injured."

Axel's eyes narrowed. "Why would you care?"

I practically gaped at him. Did he really have that low an opinion of me? "I may be unsociable by nature, but I do have an understandable interest in the welfare of my younger siblings."

"Your _what_? Flaming pants, Sai - you're not a replica or something, are you?" He laughed hollowly and added in a mutter I might not have been meant to hear, "I actually kind of like you better than the real one..."

"Axel, stop wasting time. Do you have any idea where the children might be?"

He was studying me with a maddening lack of urgency. "You're showing more emotion in the last five minutes than you have in the last five years..."

"Axel! Wake _up_!"

"Okay, fine! Were they not in their rooms or something?"

"What?"

"The kids. They weren't in their rooms?"

"How should I know? I was here when I awakened."

"_What_?" he said in exasperation.

It was like we were speaking different languages. I took a deep breath. "Axel. Just please show me where you think Xion and Roxas might be before I...before I..." It felt so ridiculous saying it. "Before I doomgaze you."

He laughed, which was certainly not the effect I had intended. "Before you _what_ me?"

I was outraged. _He_ was the one who had come up with that ridiculous term! _"I hate you,"_ I thought angrily. _"You're infuriating and you drive me insane and I want to _throttle_ you..."_

"Ow- _Ow_! Owowowow holy _crap_ how are you doing that?!" he practically shrieked, throwing up his hands as if to shield his face.

I stared at him in surprise. Axel had never flinched from me before, not once, yet here he was practically cowering. "...Just help me find Xion and Roxas, please?"

"Fine! Flaming _pants_! Are you really Saïx?!"

"Of course I am," I said, a little sullenly.

To my shock, Axel walked right past the creatures hovering by the door as if he didn't even notice them, which made me wonder for a second if I was hallucinating them. Then we stepped outside, where the things seemed to have multiplied since I was here last - the small ones practically forming a writhing blanket around us, the larger figures - now joined by some of the winged ones from Axel's room - grouped around the portal we had just emerged from, occasionally swinging their weapons at the others when they tried to advance.

I wasn't about to let the creatures turn their attention to us. "Whoa," Axel started to say, but I was already seizing his arm and dragging him back into the room.

"Ow! What is wrong with you?"

"Did you _see_ them? Those white creatures?" Surely I couldn't be merely imagining them...

"White crea-? You mean the Dusks?"

I stared at him. "What?"

He stared back at me. "The Dusks, man. Creepy white slithery things, no hearts, jump to our orders but stupid as heck?"

"Our orders?"

He gave me an exasperated look and strode back out. I followed very reluctantly, concerned about his safety.

"Oi," Axel called, "all you Dusks, get lost."

It was astonishing. The smaller creatures all slithered away in perfect obedience. To my alarm, the large ones now turned toward us, and I couldn't help instinctively reaching out to grip Axel's arm.

He was looking at me strangely again. "You okay?"

"The...they're still there..."

"If you don't want 'em, tell 'em to scram."

"What?"

"They _are_ your Berserkers, Sai, they'll do whatever the heck you want."

"They're _mine_?!"

He gestured expectantly.

"...Depart from us, _now_," I said, trying to speak strongly. To my amazement, the 'Berserkers' vanished at once. Releasing a breath, I turned to the last ones remaining. "Begone."

The creatures did nothing but twitch a little, and Axel laughed. "Dude, those are mine."

"_What_?"

"Saïx. Seriously, what is _wrong_ with you today?"

"I should be asking that of _you_! Ever since I woke up this morning, nothing has made sense!"

"There's no way you're the real Saïx, you've gotta be a replica..."

Inside the thirteenth portal, we were met by several more white creatures of a different shape, who ignored Axel but fell into fighting stances with their swords pointed at me.

"Hey, back off," Axel said sharply. "He's a friend."

They didn't move.

"Oi, Roxas! Wake up!"

Roxas? I looked, and sure enough, there was a person sprawled on the bed with a very familiar head of hair. "Roxas," I gasped. Yet something was wrong here, too, which became quite apparent when the boy yawned and sat up. He couldn't have been younger than twelve. "What _happened_ to you?!"

"Huh?"

"Rox, call off your Samurai, okay?"

"Okay..."

After a moment, the creatures vanished like the others had, and I let out a breath of relief.

"What's going on? Is that Saïx?"

"Uh...sort of. I guess."

I hurried over to my younger brother and grasped his shoulders, trying to get a closer look at him. "Roxas?"

"What do you want?" he said defensively, wincing. "Stop it, your eyes hurt."

"They what?" said Axel.

"Roxas, is that really you?" I demanded.

"Yeah?"

"How did you age so quickly?!" Another insane idea occurred to me, that I might have time traveled. It was impossible, but it might explain all the confusing things that had happened. What an utterly bizarre future this was...

"_Huh_?"

"Don't worry about it, Rox," Axel said. "Saïx is a little loopy today."

"Loopy?"

"I am _not_," I said.

"So, Rox, you're fine, right? You're not hurt or anything?"

"I'm fine," Roxas said cautiously, then added in a mutter, "If Saïx would just quit beating me up with his eyes..." I turned my face away.

"Great! On to drag Xion out of her beauty sleep, then."

"Xion?" Roxas got out of bed and accompanied us.

I was expecting it this time, seeing my sister as an adolescent rather than a little girl, but my heart still sank at the confirmation. I put my arms around my younger siblings and drew them close. "I'm glad you seem to be all right," I said heavily, and was surprised to sense Xion trembling a little.

"Axel, what's going on?" she asked.

"I dunno. Apparently Saïx has seen the error of his ways, gave up being a jerk, and decided that he wants in on our little Best Friends gig here."

"He can't do that," Roxas protested.

Xion looked up at me. I could not understand why she seemed so frightened. "Saïx, you really don't hate me anymore?"

"I've _never_ hated you, you're my sister. You have your faults and annoying habits like everyone else, but you have always been astoundingly supportive and open-hearted, and I have been trying to appreciate these qualities of yours more and not take them for granted. It is to my shame that I seem to have been so misunderstood."

She took my hand, then her eyes widened in wonder and I tried to lean away as she reached for my face. "Oooh...Roxas, look, it's like his eyes are talking..."

"Where?"

Axel made me wear one of the black coats from my closet - that is, from the closet of the room I had awakened in. "Where is this Isa person?" I ventured to ask as I was pulling it on.

"...Saïx, what was your Somebody's name?" Axel asked, looking horrified.

"My what?"

"Your _name_, Saïx! When you were still human!"

"?! What do you expect me to be if not human?!"

Axel stared at me, and I got the sense that we were 'speaking different languages' again.

"My name is Saïx Sirius Acerbi, and please tell me that _you_ are human."

"...Well, at least the middle one is the same...so 'Isa' means nothing to you?"

"I believe it is your mother's middle name, isn't it?"

"_What_?"

I shook my head. "Let me rephrase the original question. Is there any chance that the person whose room this belongs to will come in and not appreciate the fact that I am stealing her or his clothes?"

"You know, Sai, I could have answered that question yesterday, I really could. Today? Not so much."

I gave up.

Back in the room with the 'tombstones,' I was slightly alarmed to be approached by someone I did not recognize. Axel quickly pulled the hood of the coat over my head for some reason, which I did not protest beyond a brief glare. He seemed more familiar with this strange setting than I was, and I ought to trust his judgment.

"Where have you been?" the man demanded, coming to a stop before us. He was tall and well-built, with thick sideburns and very long, braided black hair. "I need my assignment for the day."

It took me a moment to realize that I was the one whom he addressed.

"Chill, Xaldin, it's a vacation day," Axel said.

"It is?" the children chorused, sounding delighted.

Xaldin's eyes narrowed, which was actually a formidable sight. "I was informed of no such thing."

"No, it's true. Sai'll tell you." Axel prompted me with an elbow in the ribs, which I tell him repeatedly not to do because it _hurts_.

"Yes," I said reluctantly, wondering what sort of trouble my brother was getting me into. "Yes, that's right...it's a - a vacation day." Heaven help me if whoever truly did hand out 'assignments' ever discovered my role in this.

Xaldin glared at me for a long time, which I found rather taxing. "There's something different about you, Number VII."

Seven?

"He...bought some new panels," Xion piped up unexpectedly.

"Yeah," Roxas added without prompting. "It's this magic that gives you laser eyes. Pretty cool."

"Sorry, though," was Axel's contribution, "staff-only. We've been bugging Sai all morning, but he won't make Gloomex sell us any. Bummer."

Xaldin sighed, made a dismissive gesture - then turned away and walked STRAIGHT INTO AN OMINOUS BLACK PORTAL THAT APPEARED OUT OF _NOWHERE_, then vanished. "What was _that_?!" I exclaimed, in a sadly undignified tone.

The other three looked at me like I was crazy. "What, the dark corridor?"

"I don't see anything..."

"Gee, Sai, I know the sideburns are pretty bad, but I didn't think they were enough to give _you_ the heebie-jeebies..."

I soon had an unpleasant understanding of 'dark corridors,' since they seemed to be the preferred method of traveling throughout the vast castle. My companions were interested to find that I could not open these corridors, and I was dismayed at discovering that all three of them could summon one of those eerie portals at will. It unnerved me, these strange new powers that they were all so casual about. "You three act like opening sinisterly dark gates and having a legion of voiceless, faceless creatures roaming about is normal..."

"It isn't?" Roxas and Xion said in confusion.

"Man, we don't have time for a Life Lesson right now. Help me find a marker, a piece of paper, and some tape."

Axel made me write 'VACATION' on a notice and post it in a room with gray furniture. Then we traveled through one of those horrible corridors to a blessedly sunny, quiet, extremely mundane-looking little town. I looked around and decided that I liked it here very much.

"Are we gonna go to the clock-?" Roxas started to ask, but Axel shushed him and then looked apprehensively at me. I stared back, wondering what the significance of a clock was supposed to be.

"Blank with a capital B," Axel finally remarked, sounding relieved. "Come on, let's go get some ice cream and find a place in Sunset Terrace to hang out." Then he eyed me. "You _do_ know what ice cream is, don't you?"

"Of course. Thanks to you, I've been forced to consume sea-salt at regular intervals."

Axel laughed. "Well, at least that's still the same." Then, once we were all seated, he turned serious. "Okay. You say you're the real Saïx."

"Of course I am. Aren't _you_ the real Axel?"

"Ha, ha. So, if you really are Saïx, tell me who our kindergarten teacher was."

"Kindergarten? I didn't even _know_ you back then."

He broke into a grin. "Passed the trick question with flying colors, awesome. Okay, then what kind of trap did we set for Santa Claus when we were nine?"

"Axel, we never even laid eyes on each other until we were nearly sixteen."

"Wait, _what_?!"

This was ridiculous.

"We met in second grade!"

I sighed. "According to my memory, which I am no longer 100% certain of, we had nothing to do with each other until Father met Lea and they decided to get married-"

"Flaming _pants_!"

I was obliged to explain everything from the beginning, including the histories and full names of all three of my siblings. After a while, Roxas and Xion started interrupting with ludicrous questions ("What's a mother?" "What's married?"), many of which Axel brushed off. He seemed to be too busy looking alternately awed, dismayed, and greatly amused by my story.

"...So that is the current situation," I finished, "and I have no earthly idea how I came to awaken in that castle."

"...Wow," Axel finally said. "Maybe I'm actually dreaming, and you have some kind of magic carpet that'll take us back to your fantasy world where we can all be a happy family with hearts until I wake up."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Do the other Roxas and Xion have numbers like we do?" Roxas asked.

"Is it fun being your sister?" Xion wanted to know.

I looked at them. Their astonishing ignorance seemed incongruous with their apparent age. "How old are they?" I asked.

"Uh...it's complicated...let's say fourteen."

"_Fourteen_?! And they don't know what a mother is?!"

"I _said_ it's complicated."

"I'd know what a mother is if you TOLD me," Roxas pouted.

"Ask Xemnas."

Father was here, too?

"So how old are _your_ Keybearers, then?"

"My what?"

"Rox and Xi. How old are they?"

I had to think a moment. "Xion is seven. Roxas is six, I believe."

Axel's face brightened considerably. "So they're, like, _kids_?! Itty bitty ones?!"

"They are small for their age, yes."

"Squeeeee," Axel murmured. "I wanna see them...!"

"That would require figuring out a way to get home from here. In the meantime, please explain _your_ side of it. It would seem as if your memories are entirely different than mine."

I learned that, according to Axel, none of the four of us were supposed to have hearts. "I mean, figuratively," Axel clarified when I laid a hand over my chest in alarm. "We still have the things that pump blood, just not the ones that make us...feel. Stuff."

"As in, emotion?" I said skeptically.

"Yeah. Can't feel a thing, it's like life is one big monotone."

"How do you explain your 'flaming pants,' then?"

"Uh...I dunno, actually...I think I started saying it again when the kids came along..."

Also, we were apparently labeled as 'Nobodies' ("with a capital N," Roxas made sure to tell me); the black coats protected us while traveling through corridors of darkness; we spent our days employed by 'Organization XIII,' completing missions for a leader who sounded like my father; and we were supposed to have weapons and be experienced fighters. There was more, but I could only process a limited amount of insane information within so short a period of time.

"Put those _away_," I snapped, not prepared for the sight of my brother summoning fire and giant spiked wheels out of thin air.

"Aw, come on, you can't tell me these babies aren't cool!"

"So you can't use your claymore anymore?" Roxas said eagerly.

"I don't fight. And I find it difficult to believe that you two children are accustomed to going out into battle every day."

"_You're_ the one who sends them/us," all three of them said in unison, then burst into laughter.

"I would do no such thing."

Roxas dug around in his pocket, finally extracted a wad of paper, uncrumpled it, and handed it to me. "That was yesterday's mission. You gave it to me. I filled up the whole mission gauge and found every treasure chest," he added proudly.

I skimmed through the text in disbelief, seeing that it looked like some kind of mission assignment. "I've never seen this before in my life. Yesterday, since it was Friday and you were all eager to go out, Axel forced me to accompany the three of you to Pizza Planet. You ended up trading an obscene number of tickets in for a cheap toy, and Xion beat one of the computer's automatic high scores on a game she's wasted far too much of her life striving to master."

They all looked at me.

"What about _school_?" I tried in desperation. "You can't tell me they spend all their days doing this mission nonsense and are never made to study!"

"What's school?"

"And 'study,' what's that?"

"It's a different world, Sai," Axel said quietly. "A different _universe_. There's no way you belong here, something's...wrong." He smiled ruefully. "I like you a lot, but I don't think you're the Isa I grew up with at all."

"I-"

"But you're still _Isa_. I dunno, it's weird. I feel like I know you as well as I knew Isa. But, just...it's impossible...you're like an Isa who never was."

I wanted to answer, but found it difficult to speak. I felt like he was gently denying my existence.

"Makes me wonder what he's like, the Lea who never was..."

"He's my brother," I managed to choke out. "You're my brother."

"Can we keep this Saïx?" Xion said wistfully. "I like him a lot better than the other one."

"Yeah." Roxas patted my arm.

Axel seemed to be finding it difficult to speak, too. "How do you _do_ that?! How are you freaking doing that?! You're not supposed to feel _anything_, but you're spewing all that stuff out of your eyes and you're gonna make me freaking _cry_, stop it...!"

I turned away.

"How _do_ you do that?" Xion said curiously.

"I don't know...I was born like this. My blood relatives are the same. My father and my cousin Van, and Uncle Xigbar and Grandfather-"

"Xigbar?"

"That guy's your _uncle_?!" Axel yelped.

"My father's brother."

"Who's your dad?" Axel said, his eyes narrowed.

"Xem Acerbi..."

"Xem? As in, Xemnas?"

"Yes," I said cautiously.

"Flaming _pants_! And- Flaming pants, Xemnas in your universe is my _stepfather_?!"

"That is correct."

"Sweet Kingdom Hearts, I wish I'd been nicer to my real stepdad..."

"Xigbar and Xemnas have yellow eyes, too," Roxas said thoughtfully. "But they don't talk like yours."

"My eyes don't speak, either," I said resentfully. It was frustrating how even these alternate versions of my siblings seemed to be able to read my mind.

"_frustrated, annoyed, scared, sad, worried_," Roxas said.

"What?"

"It's okay, Saïx," Xion said, taking my hand. "You can stay with us and we can be friends. Axel and Roxas are good at cheering people up, you'll be happy again."

"Kind as your offer is, I am still very concerned about the welfare of my true siblings."

"Man," Axel said. "If _you're_ here with us, I wonder if the real Saïx is over there with them..."

I had a feeling that he was right, and that my siblings might not be faring as well as I was.

_To be continued..._

Author's Notes: It will probably be a while before I continue this, since I'm so dang busy. ;; The next chapter will be in the Stepsibsverse, in either canonSaïx's or StepsibsAxel's POV, I'm not sure yet. I _think_ there'll be three chapters total, but again, I'm not sure yet. I imagined the whole story in my head, but haven't gotten a chance to outline it on paper, which I really need to do soon.

I'm really curious to know what you guys think of this one...


	2. Part 2

_**Eighty-seven**_**, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic by Raberba girl**

**Part 2 [rough draft]**

**Number VII**

I knew that something was wrong as soon as I realized that I'd awakened because a small animal was shifting on my stomach, rather than to the sound of my alarm clock. Immediately sitting up (and ignoring the dog's startled yelp as it tumbled to the side), I determined that it was nearly 6:00 a.m. (meaning I was very late), and that I was not in the same place where I had fallen asleep.

_'This looks like a human's bedroom...'_

Frowning, I got out of bed, knowing that I should hurry but unable to make sense of my surroundings. I was still wearing my uniform, since I'd fallen asleep in the middle of paperwork again; but one glance at the window told me that this place was certainly not the World That Never Was.

There was a shelf full of books that I knew had been part of my high school curriculum, and also some books that I had once enjoyed reading. None of them held any interest for me now. The desk set against one wall had a clean surface and neatly-organized supplies, and the closet was full of clothing that was too small for me and better suited for a teenage boy with conservative taste. _'Where in the worlds am I...?'_

Regardless, Lord Xemnas would be waiting. I held out a hand to summon a dark corridor, but...nothing happened. _'What?'_ I tried again, with the same lack of result. The little dog came over to sniff at my boots. "This is ridiculous..."

I soon discovered that the dark corridors worked within the confines of this world, but that I could not cross over into any other world. An involuntary shiver ran through my body, and I mused that if I was human, the realization that I was trapped would be quite alarming. As it was, I knew that this was an unacceptable state of affairs, and that I would need to remedy it as soon as possible.

First things first, though. I returned to the house I had awakened in and briefly visited the bathroom. It seemed very small and cramped, and I had to remember that I'd grown accustomed to the large communal areas that we used at the castle, and that ordinary humans only had individual-use units in their homes. _'I wonder who lives here...?'_ Perhaps I would find out when I ventured into the rest of the house.

The hallway seemed quiet - I thought I could sense someone behind at least one of the closed bedroom doors, but there was no one within sight. I headed downstairs with the little dog trotting at my heels, and wondered why it seemed so attached to me.

A television was on in the main part of the house, so I avoided it, circling around to the kitchen. I was fairly confident of my ability to handle any sort of conflict, but it was neither wise nor necessary to deliberately provoke such a thing. If the inhabitants of this house found me and took issue with my presence, so be it; if not, there would be no harm done on either side.

The kitchen seemed to be clean and well-stocked. I set about making breakfast for myself, ignoring the polite begging of the dog. As long as I avoided looking at its eyes, it was easy to resist.

I was just buttering the toast when someone entered the kitchen - a very young NPC girl, with blue eyes that strongly reminded me of someone, though I could not think who.

"Good morning, Sai-Sai!"

NPC or not, this would not be tolerated. "Silence." I took the plate to the table and sat down to eat, still ignoring the dog.

It would have been good if I could have ignored the girl, too, but she came right up to me, frowning, and tried to look into my face.

"Go away."

"Big brother...what happened to your eyes?"

"Do not address me."

"Saïx?" She sounded disturbed now.

I summoned my weapon and slammed the point of it down hard enough to crack the floor. Both dog and girl backed away, frightened. "Go away. Do not talk to me. Unless you can tell me how to return to the World That Never Was, I have no interest in you."

She quickly scooped up the dog and retreated to the living room, and I resumed my meal.

**Young Xion**

Something was wrong something was wrong this was _bad_. "Roxas!"

"What," he said, watching cartoons and playing a video game at the same time.

I thought I should put Chi down, but I was scared and she felt good in my arms so I hugged her tighter. She licked my neck and it tickled. "Roxas, something's wrong with Saïx."

"Mm."

I don't think he heard me. He's playing his stupid game.

I put Chi on his head and she fell on his game and he yelled and then I yelled in his ear, "LISTEN TO ME, ROXAS!"

"YOU KILLED ME!" he yelled back.

"THIS IS IMPORTANT!"

"BE QUIET!" Saïx yelled from the kitchen, so loud the windows rattled. I shivered, and Roxas dropped the game and stared.

"That's _Saïx_?"

"Yes," I whispered, "but something's wrong with him. Let's go get Daddy."

"No, let's get Axel."

I wished he wouldn't talk so loud. "But-" Then I could hear Saïx coming, and I grabbed Chi and Roxas and ran fast.

**Teenage Axel**

I try really, really hard not to wake up, but with the kids shaking me and shaking me and shaking me, and finally dropping Chi and Destiny and Bomb and whatever else they can find on me, I roll over (onto one of the action figures they'd dumped on me, which hurts, so I roll back) and groan "Whaaaaaattttt?" with my eyes still shut.

"Wake up, Axel!"

"Make Saïx stop being scary!"

"Saïx?" I open my eyes and look at them. Bomb's taken refuge on a shelf and is washing his face, pretending he doesn't care that he's just been harassed; Destiny's curling up under my arm as if he's just as sleepy as I am. "What's he doing?"

"He broke the floor."

"_Huh_?"

"He yelled really loud."

"What are you talking about?"

"Go make him be nice..."

I sigh and drag myself out of bed.

Downstairs - there really _is_ a squashed place on the kitchen floor, what the heck?! -, Saïx has taken the landline phone out of its cradle and is turning it over in his hands as if he's never seen it in his life before. He's not wearing glasses, for some reason. His hair seems longer and even shaggier than usual, and he's wearing a long black coat that's _totally_ un-Saixey, but which actually looks kind of cool. I want one.

"Where'd you get that coat?"

He raises his head to look at me, and frowns. "Axel?"

"Yeah?" I say, trying to figure out why this feels so wrong wrong wrong.

"What are you doing here, and dressed like that?"

The kids are both clinging to me, peeping out at Saïx in fascination.

"Whaddaya mean 'dressed like that'? I just woke up."

"Do the corridors work for you?"

"Huh?"

"The corridors," he says impatiently. "They are closed to me unless I try to travel to someplace within this same world."

"What are you _talking_ abou-?!"

His eyes. His freaking eyes. They're...dead. I can't see a single thing in them. Cold dread seems to seep down my entire spine, as if I'm looking at a ghost. "S...Saïx..."

"How did we get to this place? All I remember was working on some paperwork last night, and then awakening here."

"...Hey, Sai...I'm gonna go...comb the kids' hair, okay? Bye."

"Axel-"

I grab the kids' hands and hurry them back up the stairs as fast as I can.

"I don't wanna comb my hair," Roxas complains.

"What's wrong with him?" Xion asks, sounding upset.

"I dunno, Xi, but you're right, he's creeping me out. I'm getting your dad."

"I _told_ you we should have gotten Daddy," she says to Roxas, who sticks his tongue out at her.

Their bedroom door's locked, as usual on Saturday mornings. I keep pounding my fist against the wood, not even pausing when I hear Mom's irritated shouting and then a warning rumble from Xem. _'I don't care what the heck you're doing or how gross it is, cut it out and _get out here_, we need you.'_

There's a sound of stomping feet and furious unlatching, then Mom flings open the door, probably naked under her bathrobe, and grabs me by the hair to shove me against the wall. Not hard enough to hurt, though it would've if the kids hadn't been watching. I wish we _were_ alone so that I can get angry and fight back, but with everyone's eyes on us, I have to pretend like I don't care. _'No, Axel. It's _good_ that you're not alone, that's the whole point.'_

"Are you _stupid_?" she hisses at me. "What do you _think_ a locked door means, you do not just _ignore_ your mother when she tells you to get lost, if you think it's funny to keep _interrupting_ us when-"

"I NEED XEM," I finally manage to say loud enough for her to hear over her ranting. "There's something wrong with Saïx."

At Saïx's name, she instantly lets go of me and backs away as if I have Saïx cooties or something. Xem comes to join us in the doorway, frowning dangerously and buttoning his shirt. "What's the meaning of this, Axel?"

"Daddy, please go fix Saïx," Xion begs. Both the kids have protectively taken hold of my hands, and Roxas is glaring at Mom.

Xem's frown deepens, though his expression is now more puzzled and wary than angry. "Saïx?"

"He made a hole-" Xion starts to say, "I mean, he's being kind of mean, and he...his eyes aren't talking anymore, I miss him..."

Xem's eyes suddenly widen, which surprises me. Then he strides past us toward the stairs, and we all follow him.

Back in the kitchen, Saïx is now frowning at a calendar as if it doesn't make sense to him. As soon as Xem comes in, he straightens up quickly and nods his head. "Lord Xemnas."

_Huh_?!

"Saïx," Xem says sharply. He glances at the floor. "What is the meaning of this?"

Saïx looks at the cracked floor, too, as if he's wondering why Xem cares. "Apologies, my lord. I will have the Dusks see to it."

There's a long silence. Then Saïx's eyes widen and he looks around. "The Dusks..." He looks as if he's waiting, then his face seems to pale and his breathing quickens. "My lord...neither the Dusks nor any Berserkers are answering my summons, I do not understand it..."

Xem practically lunges at him and demands, "Look at me."

Saïx does so warily. It's so weird watching him. He doesn't seem intimidated by his father at all, which is how I realize for the first time that my brother usually _is_ intimidated by Xem. Now, though, Saïx mostly just seems to be confused, as if Xem isn't acting the way he expects.

Then Xem starts doomgazing.

Saïx's mouth falls open for a minute in shock, as if he's never seen a doomgaze before in his life. Then his face hardens and his hands clench, and then THE WEIRDEST thing happens. There's like this black smoky swirl suddenly appearing near his hand, and then it disappears again. It's almost like something started to show up and then took off again before actually getting here. Saïx acts like he didn't even notice, and I wonder if I hallucinated it or something.

Xem and Saïx are glaring at each other now, Xem looking like he's trying to tear down a wall by willpower alone, and Saïx looking like he wants to punch Xem in the face but is holding back. They keep it up for a while. Then Xem finally closes his eyes, sighs, and leans back, and Saïx stumbles back a few steps. He regains his balance quickly and glares again. "...What are your orders, Lord Xemnas?"

Xem opens his eyes and steps back, placing himself between us and Saïx. "Get out," he says. "Never return to this house, and never come near this family."

Saïx watches him with narrowed eyes for a minute. Then his eyes move to me, and I hold my breath, but he doesn't doomgaze me or anything, even though he kind of looks like he's trying to. Then he shakes his head a little, says, "As you wish," and - OPENS A FREAKING HOLE IN THE UNIVERSE. Mom gasps, Roxas tugs on my shirt and demands to know what it is, and Xion yells, "Saïx come back!" but Saïx is already stepping into the black hole, which vanishes.

We all stand there for a while, staring.

Then Xem strides over and seizes the house phone, punching a number in and then pacing restlessly as he waits for the call to connect. "Xigbar, it's happened."

Huh?

"You _know_ what I'm talking about; he's taken Saïx. ... Then he must have done it some time last night!" At whatever Xigbar says, he abruptly comes to a halt. "_What_? ... Are you sure? ... Well, there's no need to be rude about it, it's a reasonable question! ... I...Xigbar-"

Xem glances at us, then lowers his tone and starts wandering into the living room, though we all follow him to keep listening. "Xigbar, I can't explain it over the phone; you need to get here _now_. ... Then say you're running errands and have Van watch him. Xigbar, are you _sure_ it's him, and not...not our uncle's brother? ... You _know_ what I mean, Xigbar, I don't have time to play your games, especially when my son might be-!" He blows out a breath. "How do you know that it's not simply the real Xehanort now, and that Saïx is the new host?" He closes his eyes briefly. "Regardless, I _need you here_, and I expect you to treat this as a true _emergen_-"

Then Xem stops dead again - his eyes widen, and his face completely drains of color. I've never seen Xem look scared before. It kind of scares the crap out of _me_, too. Xion now has a death grip on my hand, Roxas is hiding completely behind me, and even Mom is gripping my shoulder hard. "Xigbar...you don't think...there could be more than one of Them here in this world...do you?"

"Who's 'them'?" I demand.

I don't know if Xem even heard me. I can hear Xigbar, though, cussing on the other end of the line.

"Stop it. Just get over here. ... You _have_ to leave Van, he-! ... Xigbar, he'll be _fine_, he can do more things with the Speech more easily than even you or I-" Xem gives an exasperated sigh. "Fine, have it your way. Just _come_ as soon as you can." He hangs up, stands there for a minute with his head bowed, then turns to us with a completely neutral expression.

"Xem, what's happening?" Mom asks, her voice tight and high-pitched.

Xem picks up Xion before he answers. She immediately wraps her arms around his neck and huddles into him as he holds her. "...It is not a matter you need to be worried about, my dear," he says to Mom, his tone gentle but his eyes so blank and walled-up that they remind me of the creepy Saïx's eyes.

"What's wrong with Saïx?! Why did you look so worried?!"

"Who's 'them'?" I ask again.

Xem shakes his head, dials another number, and holds the phone to his ear. I want to throw something, out of impatience and fear, but I don't want to make noise so that I can't hear.

"Hello, Aqua," Xem says.

Aunt Aqua?

"I was wondering if you'd like to go shopping with Lea and the children today. ... Well, you'll have to cancel it. I'd like you to go shopping."

Heh. Aqua's mad, I can hear her tone.

A bit of _impatience anger_ - and _anxiety_ - leaks out of Xem's eyes. "Aqua," he says, sounding like he's silently counting to ten to try to keep his temper, "you once asked me to trust you as if you were my sister. I am now, as a brother, asking you for help." I'm scared again, and I know Mom is, too. Whatever the heck is going on, it's completely freaking out XEM. But then he goes back to his normal arrogant tone and says, "Thank you. I hope you enjoy the afternoon. You should, ahem, come prepared."

Whaaaat?

He smiles a little at her response, then says good-bye and hangs up. "There, it's all arranged. She'll be bringing along her husband and brother to keep an eye on the children, and that way, the two of you can relax."

"What do you mean, 'relax'?! _What happened to Saïx_?" Mom yells.

Xem sighs. "He's simply gotten himself mixed up in something that he shouldn't have, but my brother and I will take care of it. You don't have to worry about a thing, my dear. You may have a nice time with your sister-in-law and buy whatever you like."

"_Anything_ I want?" Mom growls. "You'd better not complain about 'spending limits' or 'the budget' when I come home."

Xem looks like he's trying not to get mad again. "Yes, dear. _Anything_ you like."

I silently curse Mom for being an idiot, letting herself be bribed out of curiosity. The way Xem's still holding Xion, his favorite kid, has me worried. People don't get protective like that unless they feel like there's something to protect their treasures _from_.

Mom goes to get ready, and Xem orders the kids to wash their faces and comb their hair. I'm about to follow them - I'm still in the same clothes I woke up in, after all - but Xem grabs my shirt and drags me back into the kitchen and nearly shoves me against the wall. My hackles rise, though at the same time I can tell it's different than when Mom does it. For one thing, he's never been rough with me before; for another, it's fear in his eyes, not anger. "Axel."

"What," I snap. I don't care if he's scared; if he keeps shoving me around like this, I'm gonna hit him.

"I will make my expectation very clear: you will protect my daughter with your life. If harm comes to her because you failed to do all in your power to keep her safe..." The unspoken threats in his eyes give me goosebumps. What's freaking me out is that Xem Acerbi does not joke around or exaggerate. When he says to protect Xion with my life, _he really means it_.

"Xem. What exactly am I up against, here?"

He hesitates. Then he starts doomgazing me, but in the weirdest way. I feel kind of like...it's some kind of sci-fi movie, like he's transferring something to my mind. Not pictures or words exactly, just..._dark, powerful figures, beyond the realm, burning golden eyes, danger, anger, sacrifice, despair, give him what he wants in order to protect what is more precious, protect, protect, protect, light in my arms, my lost light sullied, the dimming light before me I can't save; grief, my son, that dim light now consumed, beyond my reach, my son is lost to the darkness forever..._

I'm gasping and crying, and I scrub the tears away as fast as I can and look up to find Xem watching me. I glare at him. "I bet that downloading stuff into people's brains is illegal. I should sue you." _'You actually care about Saïx after all?'_ I'm wondering. _'Were those thoughts really yours, or were you just...? What _was_ that?!'_

"Forgive my clumsiness," he says stiffly, "my thoughts at this time are more erratic than usual. However, it is no matter; I trust that your task is still clear."

The stupid thing is that I can't even get on his case as much as I want to, because I really _would_ protect Roxas and Xion with my life. It's just...stupid and weird to have someone, to have my horrible stepfather, _assigning_ me to do that, as if I'm some sort of professional bodyguard. "Who's after us? What were those dark..._things_? What'd they do to Saïx?" I'm trying not to let myself realize just how much trouble my brother might be in, because then I'll completely lose it. It felt like Xem had been grieving for Saïx as if he was _dead_.

"There is no 'they,' there is only one," Xem says irritably. "Xigbar and Van and I have been working carefully over many years to keep him at bay, and you could do nothing to help even if I took the time to explain the entire situation to you. Your job is simple: keep Xion safe. You care about her, do you not?"

"Are we having alien assassins coming after us or something?! Because that's what I got from your fail mind-meld! _Tell me what's going on_!" But he just doomgazes me until I can't stand it anymore, and I storm up the stairs, hating his guts and knowing that I can't do anything except what he wants. _'I hate you, hate you; someday we'll all be grown up and I can get my brothers and sister away from you, and we won't have to put up with your dictatorship anymore.'_

Aqua eventually shows up with Terra and Zack. The guys look normal, and Roxas and Xion seem to calm down; but as they're all laughing and teasing, I edge over to my aunt, who seems quieter than usual.

"Hey. Aunt Aqua. Something's wrong with Saïx, Xem's being a jerk, and can you _please_ tell me what all this is about?"

"You probably know more than I do," she murmurs unhappily. "I've just never seen Xem this upset before, so I figured it was important to help..."

"Same here. Aunt Aqua, I think there's something really creepy out there. I'm scared to death for the kids."

"That's why I brought them," she says unhappily, meaning Zack and Terra, "but when we have no idea what we're up against, I just..." She blows out a breath. "We'll have to trust Xem."

"No way!"

"We have to, Axel. We can bully some answers out of him later." Hearing her say that makes me smile, and I feel better. I'd _love_ to see Aqua giving Xem a hard time, since I can completely believe it of her...

The shopping is so boring; Mom drags us around, the kids whine, and Zack and Terra do their best to keep up everyone's spirits. Aqua and I keep looking around, scouting for danger like Secret Service agents. Everything seems normal until we're at yet another clothes store, Mom's popping herself and Xion in and out of clothes to model for the guys, Roxas is peering under dressing room doors like a perv because hearing half-naked women shriek in surprise is less boring than trying on clothes, and Aqua's actually eyeing a rack full of dresses nearby. I figure I can run to the bathroom real quick and get back before any alien assassins show up.

Wrong. I nearly scream like a little girl in surprise when I turn away from the sink and see Saïx glowering at me near the bathroom door. "S-Saïx..."

He's still wearing that coat that's too cool for him. I glance over him quickly, looking for signs of anything else wrong. The complete lack of a doomgaze is one, and so is something I didn't notice before - his ears are pointed, like an elf's. I just can_not_ imagine Saïx gluing on elf ears for fun. He also seems...bigger, I guess. Like, I have a hard time picturing him at school. There's nothing teenagerish about him at all, he's a _man_; he looks more buff than my brother, and he's...just...bigger. This guy looks like he could break someone's face without a scrap of mercy.

"Axel. I need to talk to you."

I swallow. "Xem told you to stay away from our family..." I feel bad saying it, because Saïx _is_ our family, but...I dunno. For some reason, as mad as I am at Xem, I can't help trusting him and his judgment more now than I ever have before. This Saïx doesn't feel like my brother... He scares me.

Saïx doesn't even blink, though. "Aren't the NPCs back at that house? Forget them." He moves toward me, and it takes an effort to not back away. "You never answered me."

"Uh...about what?"

"I don't have time to play around. How did you get here?"

"We drove." _'Duh.'_

His eyes narrow. "What?"

"You know. In a car?"

He slams his hand down on the sink next to me, and I can't help flinching. He's too close. What the heck, protect Xion with my life? If it comes to throwing punches, I have a feeling I won't last a minute against this freak...

"I _said_ I don't have time to play around," he growls. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with _you_? You scared the kids this morning, you busted a hole in the floor... What happened to your doomgaze?"

He looks at me in a way that would _hurt_ if he still had that doomgaze, but I almost want to laugh, looking into those yellow eyes and seeing nothing there. He thinks he can push me around with a glare when all his feelings are just trapped inside his skull? "Axel, if I still had patience, I would be losing it by now. Are one or both of us on a mission, or is this a mistake? Do you know anything about Lord Xemnas's new power?"

"...Hey. Are you, like, Saïx's evil twin, or his clone or something?" I'm starting to seriously doubt that, no matter what he looks like or what name he answers to, this guy is even my brother at all. He acts like a completely different person.

That black swirl pops up by his hand again, but this time, an entire huge _weapon_ finishes materializing, and he smacks it down next to me, cracking the tiles. I suddenly know exactly how he broke the floor at home.

"Summon your weapons," he growls. "I think a boss battle is in order."

I wish I _had_ weapons. "Sai...if you want a fight, fine, but ditch the club first. Ginormous weapon versus my fists is very Not Cool." He lifts the club and swings it. My reaction is a bit slow, because I can't bring myself to believe until it's almost too late that he'd actually try to kill me. But I do finally manage to duck in time, and the sound of shattering glass screams in my ears as he destroys a mirror. I don't wait to see whether he'll try again; I take off running, about to head for the store but then swerving in the opposite direction. The last thing I want is to lead this freak to the people I love.

He comes chasing after me. It feels like a complete nightmare, running for my life like this, but it's completely, entirely real, and I realize in horror that he's going to catch up to me soon. I dive out the nearest door and race out into the parking lot, having no plan in mind except to just _run_.

Hurling myself straight over cars rather than around them gives me a little advantage, and he doesn't catch me until we reach the hill at the border of the parking lot. I yell as something crashes into my legs and seems to _hold_ me, then panic seizes me when I realize I can't move. Because he's FROZEN me. With _actual ice_. I don't know HOW THE HECK he did it, but almost my entire body from feet to chest is encased in ice like I'm a statue, and I clamp my mouth shut so I won't scream again. Nightmare, nightmare, total nightmare, it didn't hurt much before but now the ice is biting my flesh with cold and I _can't move_ my legs and WHAT DID HE DO TO ME...?!

I hear the sound of a car screeching up, then get distracted by the ice suddenly shattering, sending me tumbling to the ground. The relief shooting through my chest is almost painful when I hear their voices - Xem, Xigbar, Van. They came to save me, right? But before I can get up, something nearly knocks the wind out of me, pinning me to the ground. I realize with a flash of horror and outrage and Saïx is _standing_ on me, one boot planted on my back. "Do you MIND?!" I can't throw him off, though, even when I struggle...

Van's laughing, looking as delighted as if it's Christmas morning, and doesn't seem to care that _glee horror RELIEF fear_ keep leaking out of his eyes whenever he looks at Saïx. Xigbar raises an eyebrow. "You think we care about that brat enough for him to be an effective hostage?"

"You're not the real Superior or the Freeshooter, are you," Saïx says flatly. "This is not the real Number VIII, either. He's just a helpless boy in this alternate world of yours, and you seem to care about him a good deal more than I do. Let me go my way in peace, and I'll return him to you unharmed."

"You were meant to be contained within our own family," Xem says tightly. "You lied to me, moved on early, it was my own fault you took my son from me. But we will not allow you to roam free amongst the people of this world."

"You'll have to excuse my brother," Xigbar says lightly, "he's an idealist. _I'm_ just killing you because I think you and all your kind are scum."

"And I'm only in it because I've always wanted to blow your head off," Van laughs. Then the smile dies and he mutters, "Just didn't realize it'd be _less_ fun when you have the idiot's face...you should've stuck with Gramps; given me a better game."

"Enough chat," Xigbar says. "Let's shoot him."

"We can't shoot him _here_," Xem objects, waving out at the parking lot and all the gawkers.

"Speak for yourself," Xigbar says, and raises his gun.

Pain lances through me as if I've been struck by lightning, and I scream and scream and scream, feeling like someone chainsawed me in half but left me alive. Gradually I realize that I can writhe like this because Saïx isn't standing on me anymore; that the agony is all concentrated in my right arm like a bonfire with flames of pain leaping out through the entire rest of my body. He broke my arm. He SHATTERED my freaking ARM, just slammed that thing into me like I'm a pile of dirt with no life and no feelings like we're not brothers like I'm worthless, I'll _kill_ him if I don't die from this except I really, really, really, really am dying, I had _no idea that anything could hurt this much_...

I think I passed out, then pain like lightning bursts through me again and I'm screaming so hard it takes awhile to realize he's shoved something into my mouth. I finally notice it because of the taste, glorious, like drinking a rainbow. That's the only reason I don't spit out whatever-it-is; it tastes so freaking good, but even more, it's making the pain go away.

The pieces of my brain, broken by pain like glass under a hammer strike, start gluing themselves back together. They were fighting. Saïx wasn't just bluffing; I was a real hostage, he wrecked my arm without a second's hesitation to show he meant business. They fought while I was rolling around screaming my head off - I remember gunshots now, yelling. Xem and Xigbar and Van were fighting him. Where are they now, though...? They're gone, it's Saïx kneeling here holding me and forcing this awesome crazy stuff down my throat, how'd we end up here, anyway? I don't even see the mall. Where'd he take me while I was passed out?!

I cuss at him even as I'm gasping for breath; it doesn't hurt much anymore, but my arm is so hot like there's a fire burning in my bones and I feel like rainbows are sparkling all through my mouth and down my esophagus.

"Be quiet," he says.

"You BROKE my ARM!"

"Stop complaining, you're fine now."

"?!" Except he's right, I kind of _am_ fine... I sit up, and a few seconds later both the rainbows and the fire fade, and I stare at my arm, and there's drying blood all over the place creeping me out, but I'm waving my arm around and it feels fine. _Perfectly fine_. It's all straight, instead of twisted and crushed like it was before. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"

"Shut up. It was just an Elixir. Let's go."

"NO!" I jump to my feet. "I'M NOT GOING _ANYWHERE_ WITH YOU!" I'm about to march off, but then... I don't know what they are. Like ropes, made of black and silver thorns; like wisps of goth ribbon that encircle me and tighten around my wrists and feel like _nothing_ but make me almost sick to touch, and somehow drag me along after him like I'm a dog on a leash. "STOP IT! LET ME GO!"

Totally ignores me. I keep feeling sick as I'm dragged along after him, straight into one of those black nightmare holes in the universe, no matter how much I dig my heels in and resist. The weird colors inside hurt my eyes, and I squeeze them shut. I rage at him so I won't cry. "LET ME GO! LET ME GO! LET ME GO...!"

He's not my brother. He might have Saïx's face, Saïx's voice, but this is a complete stranger, a monster. And he's taken me prisoner, and I can't escape.

_'Protect Xion with your life.'_

Remembering finally calms me down... If he has me, then he doesn't have Roxas or Xion. If this not-Saïx _thing_ is tormenting me, then he's not even thinking about the people I'm supposed to protect. And that's good.

I open my eyes again. "Hey. Ugly." It's like we're walking through a bizarre inter-dimensional corridor- He'd asked me about a 'dark corridor' before, hadn't he? "Where are we going?"

"Shut up."

"OI. Where are we going? Where are we going? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

He stops and turns back to me. "I _will_ hit you. And I won't bother with an Elixir this time; my restorative items are limited."

_'If he's hitting me, he's not thinking about my family.'_ Protecting others has always made me stronger and braver. "Yeah, because nothing says 'manliness' more than beating up someone who's tied up and can't fight back."

He glares and turns away to keep walking, dragging me after him again. I hate him so much, I hate hate hate this guy _so much_, where is my brother...what did he do to the real Saïx...?

_To be continued..._

Author's Notes: I very randomly got inspiration to continue writing this. ^^; Otherwise it might have been much, much longer before I finally got a chance to work on it.

Speaking of which, oi. It's happened before on other stories, but on this fic in particular, I got a number of 'reviews' and PMs from people outright demanding that I update. What annoyed me was the fact that none of these messages were accompanied by actual feedback, it was simply something to the effect of "UPDATE NAO!" from total strangers. None of these people had left any feedback on the first chapter, either. It was like they'd just silently read the story, but never bothered to say a word to me until I took a long time to update and they got impatient. **If you **_**have**_** to beg for updates, at least have the courtesy to leave a real, meaningful review along with it, you know? Otherwise it just annoys me and makes me less inclined to do what you want.**

Sorry for the lecture, but I've written fanfiction for a very long time now, and I've lost patience with rudeness. *sweatdrop*

Anyway, so yay, new chapter. Or maybe not yay... CanonSaix is pretty bad. He was better than I expected with the kids, but stopped bothering to behave once Axel was the only one around. *sweatdrop* I thought this chapter would cover a lot more material, but I was surprised to find that it's actually longer than the first chapter, yet cSaix and sAxel hadn't even reached their destination yet... And btw, I'd _thought_ that this story was a total AU from the main _Stepsiblings_ storyline, but then later, it decided to integrate itself anyway. A lot more of the Subplot of Narm made it into this story than I intended. So I guess the Stepsibs universe characters really did meet the canon ones at some point, and will meet them again when their help is needed...

I was also debating whether or not to actually let Saïx break Axel's arm, or to just make it an alternate scenario. The 'real' scenario would have just been Saïx dragging Axel into a dark corridor as soon as the Acerbis showed up. I'm still not sure which is better...

**I REMEMBERED THE PETS THIS TIME.** 8D I'm so proud of myself. I seriously have to go back and add them in to the other stories, though; it's crazy how often I forget them. *sweatdrop*


	3. Part 3

_**Eighty-seven**_**, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic by Raberba girl**

**Part 3 [rough draft]**

**Teenage Saïx**

I probably would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't so preoccupied with thoughts about my family and how in the world I was going to get home. The town was so warm and restful, it was a soothing contrast to the stress I'd awakened to.

"She had babies about a month ago," Xion said, picking up the dog and holding her out to me. "I fed her every day, and the puppies all got adopted."

I stared at the animal wriggling in Xion's hands in excitement, as if she was trying to get closer to me. "Ch...Chi?"

Axel glanced at me curiously. "Hm?"

I reached out and took the dog into my arms. She reached as high as she could to shower me with ecstatic kisses, then snuggled into my chest. "I...I have a pet at home who looks...and acts...exactly like this..."

Axel stared at me, then burst into laughter. "You have a pet Chihuahua and you named her _Chi_?"

I glared at him. "It's no better than _you_, naming your cat 'Bomb' with an eight-year-old's creativity..."

"Wait, _I_ have a pet?"

"Yes. A cat."

Axel looked thoughtful. "Huh...I had a set of Frisbees with Bombs on them when I was a kid..."

"Look, Chi, you found a friend," Xion cooed at the dog. "Saïx will take good care of you."

"No." I set Chi - _the dog_ - back on the ground and tried to back away, though she simply stepped close to me again in her 'waiting for orders' stance. "This isn't my dog, just like none of you are my siblings. She belongs in this world, not with me."

"Maybe she belongs with jerk-Saïx," Roxas mused.

"I bet she _does_," Axel said enthusiastically. "Sai used to be a total dog nut."

"Can we take her back to the castle?" Xion begged. "_Please_, Axel, pleeeeaaaase?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Well, _I'm_ not taking care of her," I snapped. "If you want to try some experiment with this dog and _your_ Saïx, be my guest. But I've already got a Chi at home, I have no intention of dragging this one away from her own home."

"Poor Chi~" Axel baby-talked at the dog. "_Both_ your daddies are jerks."

I gave him an exasperated look.

We did check the town's library, but it was not very well stocked. Xion and Roxas soon got distracted by picture books in the children's section, exclaiming appreciatively about how easy they were to read and that they were more interesting than anything they'd ever had to read before. I glared at Axel. "Don't you ever take them to the library?"

"Are you kidding? Why the heck would I do that?"

I was so unaccustomed to hearing adults disparage the value of reading that I was at a loss for a minute. "S-So they can _read_! Children ought to always have discretionary reading material available."

"Sai, they both hate reading, and they don't have time, anyway. By the time we RTC and eat dinner and get ready for bed and stuff, we don't really get a chance to do much because we always have to be waking up early for work. Besides, they're too tired to read at night."

"It's not like reading is _difficult_!" It was a good stress-reliever, if nothing else.

Axel looked at me as if I was speaking unintelligently. "Yes, it is. Especially for them; they get enough of a workout trying to decipher their mission briefs every day, they don't need the extra stress of having to read after work, too."

Reading. Stressful. He was killing me. I immediately marched over to the front desk and demanded to open four new accounts. I was denied, on the basis that neither I nor any of my companions actually resided in Twilight Town, but I did manage to procure a guest card, limiting both the number and quantity of our checkouts. I went back to the non-fiction section and chose my research volumes carefully, leaving enough of the quota left over for my siblings- my alternate siblings.

"No! I won't!"

"_One book_, Axel!"

"You can't make me!"

"Stop being so CHILDISH, you're a grown man, for heaven's sake! What is it you're most interested in?"

"Burning things." He meant it as a defiant refusal, but I did manage to find a book on historical explosive devices, which he actually got absorbed in despite strong initial resistance. I made Xion and Roxas fill up the rest of our quota with whatever they seemed even the least bit interested in, and added one last book to the top of the stack.

"What's that?" Xion asked.

"My real siblings' favorite picture book... I'll read it to you later this evening."

Axel kept reading his book even as we were walking through the dark corridor. "Coooool! Did you know that you can start fires with poop?!"

"What?!" both of the younger ones shrieked, laughing gleefully.

I sighed. So childish. "Yes. I did, in fact, know that urea nitrate can be a very volatile substance - and now you, do, too. Because you _read a book_."

Axel waved a hand dismissively, eyes still fixed on the page. "Yeah, whatever, fine; reading's great."

Back at the castle, Axel made me stay in his room with Chi while he and the children went to make dinner. We all agreed that it would be wise for me to avoid the other Organization members, and it also seemed that someone in authority might take issue with the dog's presence. I let her curl up next to me as I started searching for any hint about how I might be able to return to my rightful world.

The other three eventually returned with a load of hamburgers and hot dogs. Frankly, it looked disgusting, but since there was nothing else to eat, I forced down as much as I could tolerate. Then Axel started to play a video game, but soon laid it aside and watched over my shoulder as I read _Stellaluna_ to the younger two. _"On silent wings the powerful bird swooped down upon the bats..."_

They all seemed attentive as I read, and Xion, leaning against me with her chin propped on my shoulder, sometimes even gasped or made sympathetic noises in appropriate places. Roxas (I had to keep telling him to lean back, his messy hair kept obstructing my view...) had a few questions, which I tried to answer patiently even though they were inquiries I'd expect more from a kindergartener. Axel did make a few jokes, though his mocking was mild and made in good humor. When I finished the book, I asked them how they liked it.

"I'm glad her mom's not dead," said Roxas.

"They're friends just like us," Xion remarked happily.

"This is really you guys' favorite book?" Axel murmured.

"Yes. I think we feel a bit like birds and bats - entirely different species, yet thrown together as a family..."

"I wish I could meet the other Axel and Roxas and Xion," Xion said wistfully.

"I wish _I_ could, too," I sighed. Leaving Axel to read the rest of the books to them, I went back to studying.

_"As a world uniquely situated on the margin between the Realms of Light and Darkness..."_

_"...known as Gummi Blocks, which can be obtained by defeating certain types of Heartless only found in the void between the worlds..."_

Axel, unfortunately, did not have a Gummi ship, nor did he know any means of procuring one.

_"Traverse Town is often cited as a place of refuge for those who have lost their worlds of origin..."_

_"...legendary weapons. Among which is the ability to transform into a vehicle customized to the taste of the wielder..."_

Neither Xion nor Roxas had any clue how to turn their Keyblades into vehicles, if such a thing was even possible.

_"...of course entirely theoretical, as the War itself would have happened roughly a thousand years ago and has left its mark in nothing more than legend..."_

I sighed and snapped the book shut. "I'm never going to get home, am I."

Axel reached over to clap me on the shoulder. "Come on, Sai, don't get depressed. We'll get you home somehow."

"Or you can just live with us forever," Xion said hopefully.

"I'm afraid that's not an option," I said, trying not to sound as horrified as I felt at the idea. Being trapped in this disturbing Organization was not what I would call a 'life.'

"I like reading when I don't have to read," Roxas said, gazing happily at the page Axel had left off on.

I only dimly registered what he said - my attention had suddenly been caught by my watch. It was an analog one, and the hands were currently pointing to the numbers seven and eight. At least...it was within the seven o'clock hour, and the longer hand had passed the numeral 8 two minutes ago. "Axel," I said. "You are Number VIII in this Organization, is that correct?"

"Yup."

"And I am Number VII?"

"Heh, don't think that makes you better than me."

"Hmmm..."

o.o.o.o.o

**Ansem the guardian**

That evening, I waited until his training session was over. The boy came out at last, calling good-bye to his teammates and then going to unlock his bicycle. I allowed him to see me in the shadows when he had come far enough away from the others, when there was no one else around besides the oblivious drivers passing in their noisy vehicles.

I lowered my Shield enough to catch his attention, and he stopped dead as he caught sight of me. I was glad to see that his reflexes had improved. He stared at me for a minute, and I wondered curiously what he would do.

He finally swallowed, smiled at me, and said in a cheerful tone, "Hi! Are you here to kill me?"

I couldn't help chuckling. "If that is what you suspect, shouldn't you be fleeing?"

"You'd catch me in a second."

"Very true. Should I wish to capture or harm you, you would not be able to escape."

"That's what I figured. So it couldn't hurt to ask, right?"

"Well, you will be happy to know that I mean you no harm - I have, in fact, devoted a great deal of time and energy to keeping you safe."

"Three kinds of people in this world," he murmured, almost as if quoting someone. He smiled at me again and dismounted from his bicycle so that he could push it along. "By the way, is that Van guy still mad at me?"

"I would not know. I do not speak to him very often."

"Oh. Well, if you see him again, tell him I'm sorry, okay? I know it's his fault and all, but I think we can still be friends. He won't believe me, but...I mean, he hasn't even tried."

I chuckled. "I will pass along the message if I get the opportunity."

"Cool. Thanks."

"I'm glad to see that you have kept up with your training."

He smiled sheepishly. "I'm still not that good..."

"You are better than you think. However, there is only so much you can learn from sparring against opponents of that kind."

"Are you gonna kidnap me for some kind of special training?" He seemed so cheerful and at ease, but he was obviously still wary of me. That was good. His foster parents had taught him well.

"Not at the present time. I actually...wish to ask a favor of you, Sora."

He paused. "One of _you_ needs help from _me_?"

"It won't be very difficult. And rest assured that it will harm no one. It is actually a favor on behalf of your...cousin, I suppose." Human familial relationships could be so complicated.

"My cousin?"

"The one who will be sacrificed in your place, should you be fully successful in eluding your fate."

"_What_?!" He turned to face me, looking dismayed and a little angry. "What do you mean, 'sacrificed'? What 'fate'?"

"Surely you know there is a reason why your parents gave up so much to protect you?"

"Well, yeah, but Mom and Dad don't like to talk about it much...just that my real family's a bunch of bad people or something. Hey." He was staring hard at me, as if he could will me to explain. "I don't know any cousins, but...is someone in trouble because of me?"

"Not because of _you_. I'm afraid that the fault lies with myself."

"Huh?"

"It was a good experiment, and a successful one. I did not realize that your cousin would get caught up in it - his number turned out to be unlucky, so to speak."

"Whaaaat are you talking about?"

"Merely that should you wish to help him, your task is simple."

He leaned toward me attentively.

"All you need do is go to bed as soon as you get home."

"_Huh_?"

"As I said, a simple task." We had reached a crossroads, and I paused, watching him turn to the right.

He halted after a few steps and glanced back over his shoulder. "Umm...you coming?"

"Your home is to the left."

"Nah, it's this way. It's easy to get turned around."

I smiled affectionately at him. "You're a clever boy, and a brave one, trying to lead me away from your family. But do not fear; I mean them no harm, either, and I will part from you here."

"...Someday," he said quietly, "I'll get strong enough to beat you guys."

"I look forward to it very much, Sora." I turned to leave. "By the way - if your parents ask, his name is Saïx."

"Saïx?"

"A woman named Aqua Fair will confirm it." With nothing more to say, I cloaked myself from view and, as far as he could tell, disappeared.

**DiZ**

"I did what you asked."

I looked down at Naminé, who reached out to offer me her sketchbook. I took it out of her hands and paged through the newest drawings.

"...Is it what you wanted?"

"Yes, I suppose this will do," I said. "Now leave." She obeyed almost soundlessly.

I turned back to face the boy sleeping in the white memory pod: Sora. So unique and fascinating, a key in so many ways. If my other self was right, it was this ordinary-looking boy's extraordinary heart that had bridged the chasm between us, guided us to find what we both sought. He and his own other self would continue to help us as the experiment progressed, and my World and his drew ever closer. "Sleep well, Sora." I looked down at the top page in my hands where Naminé had drawn a path, wending its way between the stars.

_To be continued..._

Author's Notes: LOL _why_ did Sora choose THIS story, of all things, to make his Stepsibs debut...? XD XD *facepalm* And ftr, I made up a lot of that on the spot, so the timeline might be messed up whenever I get around to writing his side of the story in earnest.

Should've probably waited longer to post this, but my muse is _really_ interested in this story at the moment; I'm not used to having a new installment ready so soon. XD And I figure, the last chapter unintentionally landed on something of a cliffhanger (though it didn't even get resolved in this one, lol), and I'd meant to write more anyway, and had only stopped to check the word count because it was late and I had to go to bed, so...yeah, chapter 3 already. ^^; It's a lot shorter than the others, but AkuSaiRokuShi killing time in the canonverse wasn't very eventful (half a page in the outline, and some of it I even had to move to later in the story), whereas it's gonna take a while to get through (both versions of) what AkuSai's been up to (3 outline pages for the real version, 2 pages for the alternate version). So chapter 4 should be long.

I was a bit hesitant to include the part about fertilizer, because it's actually caused a lot of tragedies by a lot of evil people. *sigh*

Heh, Kiryn was the one who got me thinking about Saïx being all indignant about the Keybearers' lack of reading skills... XD

...I don't usually put much thought into premise mechanisms...such as _Seventy-eight_, where I didn't even TRY to explain the time traveling... My original mechanism for this story was (and still is) dumb, but I thought a bit and tried to expand on it so that it's not _quite as_ dumb as before. Hopefully. Just...don't scrutinize it too closely, okay...?


	4. Part 4

_**Eighty-seven**_**, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic by Raberba girl**

**Part 4 [rough draft]**

A/N: Updating just because I've been wasting so much time lately and my summer vacation is, for all practical purposes, now over, and I want to feel less useless. *sigh*

**Teenage Axel**

SUNLIGHT. We weren't in the corridor-thing for long, but I practically choke in relief when I come stumbling out and see good old-fashioned sunshine again. It's still dim in here, though...blinding spots of light are poking through into the dusty air of...wherever-this-is. Some kind of abandoned building, like an old warehouse.

The goth ribbon things finally slither off me, and I try to kick them, but miss. Or maybe I did hit one, and I just can't tell because they FEEL LIKE NOTHING. They shouldn't have been able to hold me, but-

?!

They're not disappearing they're not disappearing they're just drifting around me now like some sort of cage; can't get out, "GET THIS STUFF AWAY FROM ME!"

He's ignoring me again, pacing around the building looking at the walls. I try to hit and kick the goth ribbons, break out of this freaking cage. I can't _feel_ them, but they still won't let me _through_, and trying so hard is making me feel sick again. I can fit my arms and legs and head through the gaps, but the gaps keep _changing_ because the ribbons won't stop moving, and the stupid gaps are NEVER big enough to fit my whole body through. I keep trying anyway, until I end up on my hands and knees trying as hard as I can not to throw up. I have a feeling I'm not going to want to lose the last food I ate, and that if I _do_ throw up, I'm going to be stuck with it for who-knows-how-long. I hate this...hate this, _hate this_...

He's coming over to me. I fight my way back to my feet and clench my teeth.

"Axel."

"What."

"Why are you so staunchly refusing to cooperate?"

There are so, so, so many things I could scream at him. "YOU _BROKE_ MY _ARM_."

"You've been badly injured a fair number of times, I fail to see why you keep harping on this particular incident."

"Are you even HUMAN?! Do you even-?!"

He's staring at me. "Axel - _you_ are human." He says it as if he's just now realized it.

I stare back. "What?"

"I see," he whispers. Then he sighs deeply. "Powerless, completely ignorant, useless." He turns away.

"Oi. OI."

Ignored. AGAIN. He walks into one of his black holes and disappears.

"SCREW YOU!"

Well, whatever; he's gone now. Back to work trying break out of here.

Eventually, I have to break down and admit to myself that it's impossible. I can't escape, I'm being held prisoner, or maybe I'll be dying of starvation in a while if he decided to just take off for good and never come back. _'No one knows I'm here.'_

But...they will if I call them. Can't believe I didn't think about it before; fury was clouding my head so that I wanted to _do something_. Well, that didn't work, so now I'm using a cell phone, and that's okay that I didn't think to use it sooner. It's _fine_, Axel.

_"AXEL!"_

"Hi, Aunt Aqua." Then she bursts into tears, and I don't know what to say. A minute later, I can tell that she's put me on speakerphone, and I'm starting to get the idea that she was worried freaking sick about me. I guess the last anyone knew of me, my arm had been crushed to bits in a mall parking lot. "Hey. I'm fine. My arm's fine."

Everyone's talking at once. It sounds like _everyone's_ there: the kids, Mom, Xem, pretty much all the aunts and uncles and cousins...what'd they do, wait 'til I was gone and then throw a family reunion?

"Oi! One at a time, I can't hear a thing you're saying!"

Another burst of voices, and I roll my eyes.

Eventually, they get organized and make Zack their spokesman. I can still hear them muttering and whispering in the background, but he's the one whose voice comes through loud and clear. _"Where are you?"_

"No clue. Some kind of abandoned warehouse or something; floor's a freaking filthy mess, windows all boarded up, bugs, saw a mouse run by..." My heart sinks when they keep asking questions and I realize I can't give them more than that. We came here through some kind of wormhole. For all I know, we could be on the other side of the world. ...Well, except that I can see some crumbling signs and stuff in English and Japanese, just like in our own country, so I guess that's _something_ to go on. I take some photos and send them to Zack's phone.

_"Xion wants to know if you're scared."_

"I feel like-" ripping a certain guy's head off his shoulders, "-beating someone up and then coming home to relax and hang out with her and Rox, that's how I feel."

We talk some more. I don't have any food, water, or blankets; evil-Saïx isn't around, I have no idea where he went or when he's coming back, if he ever even _is_ coming back; he fixed my arm with some kind of crazy magic potion; I have no idea why he's acting like this or why he kidnapped me. Basically, I'm exactly what he said, useless, and the only good this is doing is letting me hear their voices again.

But I won't for long... It's Aunt Ella who thinks to ask how much battery I have left, and I realize I'm down to the last bar. For all I know, it's been like that since last night, so I seriously have to conserve power here. "Hey...I guess I'm gonna go ahead and hang up now, all right? I might need my phone again later."

_"We love you,"_ Aqua says quickly, then they're all talking at the same time again, and I can't really hear them, but it doesn't matter because I understand them anyway. One giant "We love you and we'll do everything we can to get you back" (minus whatever crap Van's being obnoxious with in the background).

"I love you guys, too, okay? I'll call you when I have something better to go on. Bye." It's so hard to hang up and turn off the phone, but I have to. Then I have to figure out a way to kill time without using electricity. It's _really hard_. People must have been bored out of their minds before they discovered how to catch lightning.

o.o.o.o.o

**Number VII**

This really was an unknown world - it matched _nothing_ I remembered from the database. I committed as much as I could to memory, since I had no way of taking notes. If it truly was an alternate existence as far as the inhabitants, the World itself was not a copy - at least, not of anything I was familiar with. Impossible to tell whether that was a characteristic inherent to this World or if I was simply misunderstanding something due to having too little information.

One of the NPCs finally caught my attention because of her unusual behavior. Rather than going about her business, she appeared to be waiting for me - a tiny figure on the sidewalk, large blue eyes fixed on me like an animal of prey about to flee, some sort of notebook clutched tightly to her chest.

I stopped for a moment to study her. Her very young age made me slow to recognize her, but at last I realized that she bore a very striking resemblance to the Castle Oblivion test subject. "Naminé."

She let out a terrified gasp, virtually flung the notebook at me, and rushed away behind a house. I couldn't discern her words, but a man with a deep voice said in response, "Yes, Naminé, you did well. I will return you to your family now." At the sound of a dark corridor opening, I hurried to catch them, but was too late, and they were gone by the time I rounded the corner.

Losing such a lead was very unfortunate, but there was nothing I could do about it, and at least there remained one clue. I returned to retrieve the dropped notebook, and began paging through it. It was full of childlike pictures, drawn in crayon, but they meant nothing to me. I sighed and closed the book again. I would bring it back with me and study it some more later, if I could find nothing of better use.

**Teenage Axel**

It's actually a relief when he comes back, partly because yay he didn't abandon me to starve to death, partly because I'm SO FRICKIN' BORED that having evil-Saïx around again is better than nothing, and partly because maybe he'll feed me. Maybe.

"Hey. Let me out. Let me out. Let me out. Let me out." Is the guy even _capable_ of getting annoyed? He just ignores me until I annoy _myself_ into stopping. I don't even know what he's doing; just looking around at everything, flipping through some kind of book, rummaging around in a backpack, waving his arms like he's trying to do magic, random stuff. Get me ooouuuutttt... "HEY. Hey, Ugly. I'm hungry." Still ignored. I hate him _so much_. "I'm HUNGRY. I'M FRICKIN' HUNGRY. HUMAN BEINGS LIKE ME NEED TO EAT. OR WE DIE. FEED ME. FEEEEEED MEEEEEEE."

It's such a miracle when he finally actually _looks_ at me, that I keep being obnoxious for another minute because I just assumed he was continuing to ignore me, and it didn't occur to me to stop.

"Shut up."

"HALLELUJAH YOU TALKED TO ME. NOW FEED ME."

He sighs. He takes something out of a pocket I can't see and shows it to me. "Is this accepted currency in this world?"

I stare at it. It's like a gold, shiny, diamondey thing. "If that's real gold, it... _What_?"

"I _assume_ that obtaining food here requires one to exchange something of value for it," he says with icy sarcasm.

"You're gonna try to buy food with a chunk of gold?!"

"If that is not acceptable, then you'll just have to endure. There is no other option."

"What are you TALKING about?!" He starts ignoring me again, and now I'm kind of panicking, because who knows when he'll deign to pay attention to me again. "SAIX, NO, WAIT, LOOK AT ME, OKAY OKAY, IF IT'S GOLD YOU CAN BUY STUFF WITH IT, ALL RIGHT?! OH GOD PLEASE FEED ME I'M SO HUNGRY!"

He eyes me. "This isn't gold, it's munny."

What the heck? It doesn't look anything like money. "Saïx, I am _starving_."

"There doesn't seem to be anything I can do about that, so you will just have to suffer."

"SAIX!" I _hate_ him!

I keep yelling until he looks fed up and pulls something out of his backpack, tossing it at me like I'm a dog in a cage. It's a protein bar. I wanna tell him to shove it, but I'm too hungry to turn up my nose at calories, so I settle for cussing him out between bites. This thing would taste a lot more disgusting if I wasn't too hungry to care. I hate hiiiiim...

"Oi. Not-Saïx. I need to pee." IGNORED. I hate him. "IIIIIIII neeeeeeeed toooooooo peeeeee." Still ignored I hate him hate him hate him so much. "Let me out! Let me out of here!" Well, FINE, then. I unzip my pants and aim vengefully, but he's moved too far away again GAH I HATE HIM.

That protein bar was pretty dry; my mouth now feels like it's coated with sawdust. "Hey, I'm thirsty. I'm THIRSTY. Humans die without water, though you wouldn't know because you're a frickin' monster robot who doesn't need to eat or drink because you run on pure evil. But I'm a HUMAN BEING with a HEART and a SOUL and a STOMACH, which means I need water, because I'm thirsty. I'm thiiiiiiirstyyyyyyy."

"Is killing you the only way to shut you up?" he snaps.

I can't help swallowing a little nervously, because I'm almost certain he's literally considering it. "Why'd you take me prisoner, anyway? What are you going to do with me?"

"There is a possibility that you might eventually prove to be useful, but I'm starting to wonder if the disadvantages of keeping you alive are outweighing any potential advantages."

It's a little hard to take him seriously, because a part of my brain is an idiot and refuses to believe that my brother would say stuff like this; but my body is trembling because the not-stupid part of my brain knows that this freak is not my brother and that he doesn't even know the meaning of exaggeration. It's all literal. He's seriously considering killing me. My arm might be fine now, but I definitely have not forgotten how frickin' much it hurt when he broke it. Maybe I should switch tactics. I shouldn't have so much pride when there's no one around to show off for.

Swallowing hard, I try to soften my voice and say, "Saïx, I'm really sorry for annoying you. Okay?"

He looks at me, and I can't tell what he's thinking and I nearly panic again. "Saïx...Saïx, I- I'm human, okay? I have, like, bodily needs. I need water. I'm really, really thirsty. And I'm scared. You're really scaring me. Okay? I'm used to Saïx acting...different, and you're not acting _anything_ like I'm used to, and it's...really throwing me off. Okay? ...Saïx?"

He comes right up to me, and I try hard not to move, not to back away. He just looks at me for a while, and I look back, praying that he'll magically go back to normal and be the old wonderful grouchy insecure snooty Saïx whose buttons I knew how to press, rather than this machine whose buttons are all hidden and who doesn't give a crap about me. Please, Saïx. Please come back. I need you and miss you and I'll never take you for granted or annoy you again, just _please come back_.

Finally he takes a water bottle out of his backpack and offers it to me.

I stare at it. It's only half-full. "Have you...been _drinking_ out of this?"

"Yes," he says in a monotone.

What the-?! "I'm supposed to put my mouth on something _your_ mouth touched?!" Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew...

Still, I'm desperately trying to psych myself up to do it, because I don't really have a choice, when he snaps, "You are _insufferable_," and disappears.

I stare after him. Then I look back at the bottle ew ew _ew_ but I'm SO THIRSTY and who the freak knows when he's coming back... "I _HATE_ YOU!"

He's actually not gone very long this time. I jump when the stupid noisy portal thing opens again, and he walks back up to me and - offers me a cup with a picture of Barney the Dinosaur on it.

_What?_

"Saïx...why are you giving me a Barney cup."

"Drink it," he orders, looking and sounding like he'll kill me if I don't.

"What-" It's water. He brought me a cup of water. In a Barney the Dinosaur cup. "Saïx...where did you get this?"

He summons his weapon again, and I quickly back up and slurp down the water as fast as I can. My heart's pounding in my chest because he must have just waltzed straight into someone's house, someone with kids, maybe the kid was actually sitting at the table drinking out of this cup when Saïx snatched it away, "Saïx please tell me you didn't hurt anyone to get this. You didn't hurt anyone, did you? Did you hurt anyone?" Please oh please oh please oh-

"No."

"...So you just broke into someone house and stole this, but you didn't hurt them? Right?"

"_You_ were the one who requested a different drinking vessel."

"Saïx, I am _begging_ you, let me go, _please_, I need to get out of here, please let me go _please_ let me go...!"

He raises his hand and it feels like something hits me, and I'm freaked out because I couldn't see it and I don't know what it was and it didn't really hurt but it was creepy, and then I start yelling at the top of my lungs but it doesn't do any good because no matter how loud I try to be, I _can't hear it_. My voice. He took away my voice. I can't make a sound I HATE you I hate you I hate you okay so _what_ if this isn't as bad as crushing my arm I DON'T CARE YOU TOOK AWAY MY VOICE I can't even _hear_ myself anymore...!

He's gone again, and I'm curled up against the wall, trying not to go insane, when my voice finally comes back. I scream obscenities just to prove I can, then take out my phone again and turn it on and hit Saïx's number. _My_ Saïx, the good one, the human one, the one who'd never hurt me like this, I know he won't answer because he's gone but please Saïx answer anyway...

Xem answers. Saïx left his phone on the bedside table before he disappeared wherever he disappeared to and _left_ me in the evil clutches of his evil twin.

Xem sounds too much like evil-Saïx, all robotic and not caring about me nearly enough, I can't stand listening to him a second longer. "I _will_ call when I have more info and I _won't_ waste the battery anymore but I HAVE TO TALK TO HIM FIRST. Let me talk to him."

_"Axel-"_

"LET ME TALK TO HIM, THIS ISN'T EVEN YOUR PHONE IT'S SAIX'S PHONE AND SAIX THE REAL SAIX WOULD LET ME TALK TO HIM. LET ME TALK TO HIM."

The sound of my little brother's voice is such a sweet, aching relief that I nearly burst into tears and I can't even answer him for a while.

_"Axel? Axeeeel? Helloooooo, I'm talking to yoooouuuu..."_

Like it's just a game or something. I love him so freaking much. I miss him so freaking much. "R-Roxas."

_"Are you coming home?"_

"N-Not yet, buddy...Roxas, I really miss you."

_"I miss you, too."_

"They haven't found the real Saïx yet, have they?"

_"Nope. Me and Xion are making a map. We're helping."_

I love him so freaking much. "That's great. Find him for me, okay? I really miss him, too. I really miss him. I miss you all. I really want to come home."

_"Hurry up. It's boring without you. And the grown-ups are being weird."_

"Roxas..." I want him to keep talking, about anything, I don't care, I just want to keep listening to his voice, but my phone is dying. "Roxas, I love you so much. I love you _so much_."

_"Love you too, Axel."_

"Is Xion there?"

_"She wants to talk to you."_

_"Axel!"_

"Hey, princess. I love you, too. I miss you so much."

_"Are you okay, Axel?"_

"...No...no, I'm not...I really wanna come home, Xion."

_"Everyone's looking for you."_

"Tell them thanks. I hope they find me."

_"I hope they find you, too. And Saïx."_

"Yeah..."

Silence. My phone's dead. For a minute, I want to throw it, but then I just put it back in my pocket and hide my face against my arms and try hard to stop crying before the monster who's not my brother comes back.

_To be continued..._

Author's Notes: I just re-read chapter 2, uuuuggghhh so bad... DX Also re-read "Eating ice cream" for the 30 Day OTP challenge. I'd thought I ought to be a good enough writer by now that even my bad fics aren't too terrible, but I WAS WRONG. *headDESK* Someday, I want to write a story that I can actually re-read and feel proud of. -.-

Btw, for those of you who don't read my journals and stuff: this school year, I'm going to try not to answer messages except on Friday afternoons/evenings (though I'll still be logged in and posting and stuff). I just can't keep up with both my real life and my social life, and I can't let my real life get so neglected that it becomes a mess like it was last year. (Feel free to message me whenever you want, I love hearing from people! ^^ It's just that replies will probably be a long time in coming.)

Also, I'm doing NaNoWriMo in October (not November, since I need November for something else). Thus, I might kinda disappear in October, because I have to write about 1,600 words per day, and that is _a lot_ when you're having to do it for thirty days in a row and are working and dealing with real life at the same time ._. If all goes well, though, I'll have a multi-chapter sci-fi(ish) RokuKai/SoNami AU to share with you all afterwards~


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